Desolate Era Book 18, Chapter 10 - Vanguard

“Go onto the city walls,” True Immortal Whitepole immediately ordered.
“Let’s go.”
The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, along with several Celestial Immortals, all quickly departed from the main palace and flew towards the city walls.
The Seamless City wasn’t that large, and so they quickly arrived at the wall from which the warning signal had come. As they arrived, the soldiers patrolling this wall all immediately knelt respectfully. There were several Void-level Fiendgods amongst them, and some of them had trained in divine abilities that allowed for distant sight; naturally, they were able to see to a great distance.
“Eh?” True Immortal Whitepole and the others had divine abilities and secret arts of their own, and they all stared off into the distance.
It was currently dawn.
The wild marshes here were surrounded by fog and mist, but the gazes of the Empyrean Gods and True Immortals were able to pierce through them to see far off into the distance. Roughly thirty thousand kilometers away from the Seamless City, a towering, barefoot Fiendgod that was at least thirty thousand meters tall had appeared. He was dressed in just a fur loincloth, the rest of his body completely nude. He was striding forward at astonishing speed, as though chasing after the stars or the moon.
The barefoot, bounding Fiendgod was headless. Instead, he had an incomparably savage face on his chest, with his eyes being where his nipples should be and his belly button having transformed into his mouth. The face was the face of Celestial Immortal Unity. Clearly, this was the Unity Heaven Punisher which had been formed by the Unity Army of the nine Immortal armies of the Grand Xia.
“Heaven Punisher?”
The Empyrean Gods and True Immortals atop the walls of the Seamless City couldn’t help but feel startled. Although Gatemaster Azurefox had already told them that the Xia Emperor had produced the Heaven Punisher Formation, actually seeing the headless Fiendgod with their own eyes was different. They couldn’t help but think of True God Xingtian, the legendary wargod whose fame shook the Three Realms.
“Everyone, what do you think we should do?” True Immortal Whitepole asked calmly.
Gatemaster Azurefox said, “Senior apprentice-brother Whitepole, I know all of the nine generals of the Grand Xia. Judging from the face on the chest of this Heaven Punisher…it should be the army led by Celestial Immortal Unity. I know how many pieces of chaos goldstone they each broke during the trials, but that was before they were taught the critical components of the Heaven Punisher Formation. I trust that the power of their Heaven Punishers have increased dramatically. What we need to find out…is how powerful, exactly, the Heaven Punishers have become! Only then will we have a chance of defeating the Grand Xia.”
“It is indeed time for our White-Faced Flood Dragons to test themselves,” Empyrean God Threesuns agreed.
…...
While the Seamless Gate was preparing their response, Ji Ning and seven other generals were gathering together at the central, main palace of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.
“Imperial Majesty.”
As they arrived, they all saluted in respect.
“Sit.” The Xia Emperor nodded.
Only then did Ning and the others sit down. As they exchanged gazes…eh? Why isn’t Celestial Immortal Unity here? Why have only eight of our nine generals arrived?
“We’ve already reached Whitepole Commandery,” the black-robed Xia Emperor said. “In addition, I’ve already set down a grand formation that’s locked down the space within a million kilometers of Whitepole City. Within this region, Greater Teleportation is impossible and coresense cannot be used. But of course…as the master of this formation, I can scan this region. However, because there are layers of protections surrounding the Seamless City, my coresense is unable to penetrate into it. Everything else, however, is within my reach.”
Ning and the others were all startled.
Such speed!
None of them were aware of the Xia Emperor’s movements at all.
“When we arrived at Whitepole Commandery, I sent out the army commanded by Celestial Immortal Unity. They’ve already transformed into a Heaven Punisher and are serving as our vanguard in testing the Seamless Gate’s power.” The black-robed Xia Emperor pointed into the air, an image instantly appearing. The image was of a vast, wild land, with a towering, mountain-sized, nearly-unclad Fiendgod with no head who was bounding barefoot through it. The face on the chest of the headless Fiendgod was the face of Celestial Immortal Unity; only, it was more fierce and savage.
“He’s already made a move?” Ning was secretly startled. “It seems the Xia Emperor truly is being cautious; he’s not letting us know about any of his actions at all. Still, that’s for the best; it means our chances of victory against the Seamless Gate will be improved.” Ning had great faith in the Xia Emperor, as his background guaranteed that there was no way he would ever join the Seamless Gate.
He was the scion of the Primordial Imperial Clan.
The Primordial Imperial Clan was the most powerful force on the side of the Nuwa Alliance! One of the dominating powers of the Primordial Era, even more powerful than both the Daoist Path and the Buddhist Sangha! Ning naturally held great trust in the Xia Emperor’s decisiveness.
“This is a Heaven Punisher, a Xingtian Divinity formed through a formation, after all.” A red-bearded elder to the right of the black-robed Xia Emperor laughed. “It isn’t a real Fiendgod, and its power is controlled by Celestial Immortals and guided by Loose Immortals who control the natural energy of Heaven and Earth, forming it into a fleshly body. Thus, this fleshly body contains tremendous power, allowing it to run at great speed. If it was soaring through the air, it would be moving much more slowly…and so, the most suitable way for advancing is by bounding across the land. Due to its great size and great strength, it runs quite quickly.”
Ning glanced at the red-bearded elder.
Ning and the others knew all five of the Empyrean Gods/True Immortals by the side of the Xia Emperor. Three of them were from the Primordial Imperial Clan and were absolute supporters of the Xia Emperor. The other two were True Immortal Dongyan and the founder of the Skyfarmer clan, True Immortal Skyfarmer. Ning had long ago heard that the Kindwater clan had an Empyrean God, but had never seen him before this.
“Firecloud’s words are correct.” The Xia Emperor nodded. “You need to get a better understanding of how to use the power of the Heaven Punishers. Watch this battle carefully; this will be the first time our Grand Xia truly does battle against the Seamless Gate. Remember; no matter what, don’t be overconfident. Your Heaven Punishers each represent a thousand Celestial Immortals and a hundred thousand Loose Immortals. If you are defeated…you won’t be the only ones to die. A thousand Celestial Immortals and a horde of Loose Immortals will perish as well!”
Ning the others instantly felt a heavy feeling in their hearts.
“Unity, you can halt now,” the Xia Emperor suddenly said.
His voice was transmitted straight into the ears of the Unity Heaven Punisher.
The image was currently displaying the Unity Heaven Punisher bounding through a vast lake. This lake was at least a thousand kilometers in size. Although the waters of the lake were deep, they barely reached the Unity Heaven Punisher’s calves. The giant waves were only capable of wetting the hairs on the massive Heaven Punisher’s legs.
“You are only ten thousand kilometers away from the Seamless City,” the Xia Emperor said. “Unity, wait here for now. I trust the Seamless Gate’s attack shall arrive soon.
…...
The Unity Heaven Punisher just stood there quietly within the lake, as unmoving as though it had been there since the Primordial Era, as though nothing in the world could possibly shake it. Anyone who looked at it would feel their hearts quake. The aura radiating from him was an aura of power which only the Fiendgods of the Primordial Era possessed. This Heaven Punisher was based off of True God Xingtian, after all; the arrogance and the desire for battle it radiated far surpassed that of most Empyrean Gods.
Suddenly, the waters of the lake began to ripple.
The Unity Heaven Punisher stared towards the distant Seamless City. A little tiny black dot was rapidly drawing closer, and as it was it was expanding in size.
The creature had a white, humanoid face, was covered with black scales, and had two arms and two legs. It was thirty thousand meters tall, but its draconic, serpentine body was ninety thousand meters long.
……
It was dawn. The surface of the vast lake was covered with mist and dew. A massive, thirty thousand meter tall Fiendgod with no head who was dressed in just a fur loincloth was standing within the lake. Far away, a similarly massive white-faced beast of the Primordial Era with the form of a Flood Dragon was charging forward. It soon reached the lake, and its every step caused the entire lake to tremble and ripple, arousing massive, mighty waves.
Everyone within the main palace of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity was able to clearly see this scene clearly.
“A primordial Terrorbeast…the White-Faced Flood Dragon?” True Immortal Dongyan murmured to himself.
“The Seamless Gate should have used a technique similar to ours in creating the White-Faced Flood Dragon.” The Xia Emperor, seated on his throne up high, frowned. “From the looks of it…the White-Faced Flood Dragon has no flaws at all. It looks as though it is real. Clearly, this formation should be quite a perfect one; it definitely is something which only a True God or a Daofather could have come up with. However…I wonder how strong it is?”
“Watching a Xingtian Divinity battle against a primordial Terrorbeast, a White-Faced Flood Dragon…haha, I feel as though I’ve returned to the Primordial Era,” True Immortal Skyfarmer said with a laugh. “Long ago in the Primordial Era, when I was surviving by hiding behind the elders of my clan, I once saw an ancient Fiendgod battle against a primordial Terrorbeast. This spectacle currently before us feels identical.”
“Mm.” The Xia Emperor laughed and nodded. “When we humans first began to flourish and our status was still low, the Primordial Era was dominated by those ancient Fiendgods and Godbeasts. Back then, it was their world.”
Godbeasts and Terrorbeasts could be considered Fiendgods. Fiendgods which had the form of animals were referred to as ‘Godbeasts’, while beasts that had exceptionally violent dispositions who delighted in slaughter and murder were referred to as ‘Terrorbeasts’.
The primordial Terrorbeasts known as the White-Faced Flood Dragons were born with the power of Empyrean Gods. They were awe-inspiringly famous and were perfectly suited for battle.
“A battle between a primordial Fiendgod and a primordial Terrorbeast?” Ning stared at the images in midair. The massive headless Fiendgod and the massive White-Faced Flood Dragon stared at each other from afar, their battle-intents flooding the scene and invoking an image out of antiquity.
“It’s begun. Everyone, watch carefully,” the Xia Emperor suddenly said.
......
Within that still, desolate lake, the towering Heaven Punisher stood face to face with the White-Faced Flood Dragon.
Ssss…
The Terrorbeast’s body undulated with a hissing sound as it stared intently towards the Unity Heaven Punisher.
The Unity Heaven Punisher stared back at its opponent, watching carefully.
The two just stood there, staring at each other for a few moments.
Suddenly…the White-Faced Flood Dragon made its move!
BOOM!
The waters of the lake expoded, causing the entire lake to tremble and even the distant shores to shake. The White-Faced Flood Dragon suddenly shot forward, instantly traversing the hundreds of kilometers between it and its foe. Its two arms lashed out like two incomparably sharp sets of claws, the claws of a Flood Dragon.
The reason why primordial Terrorbeasts were referred to as ‘beasts’ was because they had many bestial characteristics. Their claws and appendages, for example, were often comparable to incredibly powerful magic treasures. As it charged forward, the sharp claws of the Terrorbeast ripped directly towards the Unity Heaven Punisher’s flank, seeking to tear a massive wound within it.
The Unity Heaven Punisher took just a single step back. It raised its right arm, and the edges of its right hand seemed to transform into the edge of a blade. It came chopping down lightning-fast, seeming to carry the power of the true Xingtian himself as it struck.